What Do You Mean I'm in Feudal Japan?
by Reima-of-the-Kells
Summary: Kayla Derringer gets sucked down a hole and winds up in Feudal Japan after putting on the old family ring. Why was she brought here? Will she ever be able to get home? Pairings are InuyashaxKagome and MirokuxSango. May be some OOC. Reviews welcome. *Work in progress, still updating* Would appreciate voting on poll in profile.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Main Character is whatever age you want her to be, providing it is within the high school to early college years range.**

**Update: 07/29/2013 I made some adjustments to this chapter and all the others leading up to and including chapter 5, such as rearranging some of the wording, paragraphs, and adding minor details. New chapter will be up soon, but be sure to go to my profile and vote on my poll for this story.**

Kayla Derringer stood in the open doorway of the antique shop that her Aunt Julia had bought recently, her eyes closed and enjoying the feel of the wind as it blew through her caramel-colored hair. As much as she appreciated the breeze on a hot summer afternoon such as this, she didn't like having it blow her hair all over the place, so she kept it back in a high ponytail.

"Kayla! Can you go find me that antique jade vase in the storage room in the back? I want to place it by the window near the front of the store," Aunt Julia called to her from inside.

Opening her blue-green eyes, she turned and headed towards the storage room. "Yeah, sure," she replied. She dressed casually in expectation of the amount of work she would have to do. She wore a long-sleeved gray shirt that revealed her shoulders with a black camisole underneath, jeans, and black high tops.

As she searched through the boxes of unpacked materials, Kayla found a mahogany chest with carved vines, animals, and flowers along the edges. She held it in her hand and studied it closely, tracing the figures with her fingertips until she came to the lock that kept the thin chest tightly shut.

She found her aunt setting up the drapes for the front windows. "Hey, Julia, what is this?" she asked as she held up the chest in the palm of one hand.

Her aunt's eyes, the same color as her own, widened in surprise and she let out a little gasp as she said, "Oh my goodness, what in the world was _that_ doing out there?"

"What do you mean? What is this exactly?" Kayla asked, puzzled by her aunt's reaction.

"It carries an old family heirloom. I'm so glad you found this Kayla. I'd hate to think that we could have lost this permanently, what with everything else that's out there." Her aunt came and carefully took the chest out of her hand.

"So what's inside it anyway?"

"Well, come with me and I'll show you," Aunt Julia responded as she went towards the front counter. Placing the chest on the counter, she picked out an archaic-looking key from the set she had hanging around her neck on a black lanyard with the name of the shop, _Akayama Antiques and Collectibles_, emblazoned on it in red. Using it on the chest, it gave a click and she lifted the lid.

Inside the chest on a pillow of indigo satin lay a silver necklace and matching ring. The necklace had a chain that was intricately shaped into that of a vine with thin leaves protruding from them and a pendant with a tear-drop shaped sapphire inlaid into the silver disc at the end, surrounded by small emeralds. The ring had thin double-bands that converged towards the top, where a circular sapphire was surrounded by tiny diamond-shaped emeralds.

"They're very beautiful," said Kayla.

Aunt Julia nodded and replied, "These have been passed down to the women in our family for centuries. These belonged to our ancestor, Elena Friedland, the wife of a wealthy merchant and businessman who allowed her to accompany him on his travels. At one point they were headed for China when they were hit by a terrible storm, washed off course, and ended up in Japan. They were separated for a time, but were happily reunited. However, during that time the ring was lost, and it wasn't found and returned to her until many decades later." As she finished her story Aunt Julia closed the lid to the chest, stood up, and began walking towards the storage room.

"We have a built-in safe here in the back to hold onto especially valuable items. I am going to keep them there until the end of the day, when I can take them home and put them somewhere safe," Aunt Julia told her as Kayla followed her.

"Can I look at them one last time? Please?" Kayla begged while giving her aunt the sad puppy dog look she had practiced since childhood.

"Oh, alright," Aunt Julia said with a smile. She opened the chest so that her niece can look at them for the last time. As she gazed at the accessories, Kayla noticed that the bands along the ring had strange symbols on them.

Just as she was about to ask her aunt about the symbols, the telephone began to ring on the counter in the front of the store. "Oh, that might be someone important. Wait right here, I'll be back in a minute or so," Aunt Julia said to her as she went to pick it up, leaving the chest on a nearby table and closing the door to the storage room on the way out.

When her aunt had left the room, Kayla looked at the jewelry sitting on its bed of satin and decided to try it on to see if they fit, since she may not get the chance to do so again. She picked the ring up with her right thumb and forefinger, feeling the cool touch on her skin and the shape of the strange symbols etched into the bands. Kayla slipped the ring onto her left middle finger, and it fit perfectly.

As she admired the look of the ring on her hand, she felt a cool breeze blow softly through her hair and her ears detected the hint of a whisper from a voice that she did not recognize. _What the heck? Did I just hear something_, she wondered to herself as she looked around. _That's weird. Did I really just feel a breeze right now? The windows aren't even open and the air conditioning isn't on either. _She paused a moment to see if she could feel it again, but there was nothing but silence, except for the muffled voice of her aunt as she talked on the phone.

Shrugging her shoulders she thought, _Oh well, I guess it was just me then, weirding myself out again. It wouldn't be the first time, either. _Just as she was about to try on the necklace, she heard the whispering voice again, and this time she could detect where it was coming from. She looked down at the ring on her hand, and it began to pulse while the symbols on the ring began to glow a dark purple. The wind she thought she felt before picked up again, only this time it was much stronger as a dark gaping hole appeared in the floor directly beneath her.

_Oh crap!_ She barely had time to think as the wind's pull on her was sucking her in. She had just enough presence of mind to desperately make a grab for the leg of a nearby dresser as she was going down, but her fingers could not hold on for more than a couple of seconds before she fell through. She screamed as she fell through utter darkness, but the wind snatched her screams from her so that she might as well not have uttered a sound.

When next she woke, she felt the warmth of sunlight on her face and the sound of birds chirping. She opened her eyes to find herself peering up into a blue sky with a few stray clouds floating listlessly across it. As she sat up to better get her bearings, a dull pain throbbed in the back of her head and she rubbed it to relieve the ache. Looking around, she found herself in a clearing in a forest, and through the trees to her right there appeared to be a road.

_Now I know what Alice felt like after falling down the rabbit hole_, Kayla thought as she stood and brushed herself off, feeling the slight bulge of her cell phone in her pocket. Taking it out, she tried to call her aunt to see if she could get some help, but the call failed and she was left with no other recourse than to see if she could find someone in the area to help her.

_Seriously, first I fall through some random hole in the floor and now I have no reception? What the hell? All I did was put on the ring to see if it fit, and I wind up in some forest which, knowing _my _luck, is probably in the middle of freaking nowhere!_, Kayla thought to herself as she made her way towards the narrow, winding road beyond the trees.

A thought occurred to her, and looking down at the ring on her finger she said, "Hey, this thing brought me here, maybe it can send me back."

For the next few minutes she tried everything she could think of to try to get it to work. She tried rubbing the ring. She tried "Abracadabra" and "Open Sesame!" thinking that maybe it will open up the hole that sucked her in and spit her back out where she came from. Finally, she closed her eyes while picturing her aunt's store in her mind and saying under her breath "There is no place like home" three times. Sighing, Kayla made her way onto the narrow path she had spotted earlier and tried to figure out which way to go from there.

The earth began to rumble beneath her feet. _Great, just what I need, a frigging earthquake,_ Kayla thought to herself when all of a sudden something broke through the trees along the path just behind her. Turning, she saw an enormous centipede chittering at her, waving its pincers in the air.

"Oooohhh_ sshhiiittt_!" Kayla shrieked as she took off down the road like a bullet out of a gun. She could feel the earth thunder with the sound of the centipede's many legs as it chased after her, and she knew she could not keep up this speed for long.

_Dammit! Of all the times to be out of shape! Mom told me to spend some time working out over the summer, but _nooooo_, I couldn't be bothered to spend an hour a day walking around on the track at school!_

She made a sudden veer to the right, zigzagging her way through the trees. The centipede followed her, and she could hear the crashing noises it made as it rammed into trees in its effort to get at her. _Good, it sounds like its slowing him down_, she thought, and she chanced a glance back behind her. In that instant, the centipede made a sudden leap through the trees straight for her.

The next thing she knew, Kayla was on the ground and there were bits and pieces of the centipede all around her. As Kayla stared around her at the remains that were left behind, she gave herself a minute to catch her breath and collect her thoughts. _What just happened? That thing was headed straight for me. I should be bug food already. _

Some pieces of the centipede had landed on her clothes. "Ick, gross," Kayla said feeling as she picked the pieces off of her.

As Kayla stood on unsteady legs, she heard the voice of someone call, "Hey! You there! What did you just do?"


	2. Chapter 2

Kayla turned towards the sound and saw a strange group of people come towards her. A young man in a red kimono with long white hair and dog ears was carrying an Asian schoolgirl in a green and white uniform on his back as he ran towards her barefoot. As unusual a pair as those two made in her eyes, the ones who followed were just as peculiar. She spotted a dark-haired woman wearing a black outfit outlined in red with pink pads of armor for protection on her shoulders, elbows, and knees while carrying a humongous boomerang on her back and a sword at her side. Behind her was a man carrying a long wooden staff, purple robes that reminded her of a Buddhist monk, and beads wrapped around his right hand. These companions were riding on what appeared to be a two-tailed giant cat of some kind with strange markings. Looking at the pointed fangs and large red eyes made Kayla a bit uneasy, causing her to unconsciously take a step back.

Once the eclectic group had reached her, the man in the red kimono set the schoolgirl down and said to her once again, "Hey, I'm asking you, how did you do that?"

"Do _what_?"

The strange man's ears twitched in irritation. "What do you think I'm talking about? I'm asking how you managed to kill that giant centipede that was after you."

"What are you talking about? I didn't kill that thing, it just spontaneously _exploded_ on me," Kayla said to him with a gesture at the leftover remains.

"Well I don't think that giant centipede would've just exploded on its own, and I know I saw a flash just before it did, so you must've done something," he responded stubbornly, his golden eyes narrowing and his brows furrowing in a frown.

"I already told you—"

"It could be from the ring on your finger," the schoolgirl spoke up suddenly. Kayla turned toward the girl to see what she had to say and did not notice the small form hidden behind the priestly man slip from his spot astride the cat and land agilely on the ground.

"What makes you say that Kagome," asked the young woman on the giant cat behind her.

"I just got a strange feeling coming off of that ring is all," Kagome responded. Coming up to her, Kagome asked, "Can I see it for a minute?"

Sighing, Kayla said, "Sure, why not?" and tried taking the ring off. It wouldn't as much as twist around on her finger. Struggling with it, she muttered under her breath, "What the heck is up with this temperamental ring?"

"Allow me to give it a try," said the young man carrying the staff. As he began to get closer, however, the ring began to pulse, and both Kagome and the young priest stared at it.

The dog-eared boy let a low growl escape him as he muttered, "I thought I sensed it earlier." He suddenly reached for the thin sword at his side, and as he drew it, it turned into a large curved blade. As shocking as the sword's transformation was, what was more bewildering to Kayla was the sudden change in the golden eyes from curiosity and mild annoyance to thinly-veiled anger.

"Whoa, hold on, what do you think you're doing?" Kayla asked as she took a couple of steps away from him.

"You're gonna tell me everything you know and you're gonna tell me where to find him. Otherwise I will cut you where you stand," he said to her, and he looked like he meant it.

Looking at him incredulously, she said, "Who do you expect me to help you find? I don't even know where I am!"

"Inuyasha, SIT BOY!" Kagome shouted and the man in front of her did a face plant into the ground. Kayla was so surprised she couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape her even though she tried to cover it with one hand.

Inuyasha lifted his head, spat out some grass, then turned to look over at Kagome and said, "What the heck did you do that for?"

"Because you looked like you were gonna use Tetsusaiga on her. I know what you think, but if you just thought about it for a minute you could see that she's probably not what you think she is. Besides, you can tell from her clothes that she's not from around here."

"Feh," Inuyasha responded, and began muttering under his breath.

Kagome turned back to Kayla and said, "Sorry about that, he can be so hot-headed at times."

"Yeah, I can see that," Kayla responded with a pointed look at Inuyasha on the ground.

"At the same time though," she said as she looked back at Kagome, "I can't blame him for being a little suspicious. To be perfectly honest with you, I don't know what the heck he was talking about or what's going on here. Perhaps you guys can tell me who you are and where I am?"

"Well, I'm Kagome, that woman over there is Sango with her pet Kilala, the priest over here is Miroku, and that boy on the ground is Inuyasha."

"And my name is Shippo," a child's voice spoke up and Kayla looked down to see what appeared to be a little boy with a big fluffy tail come running over to greet her. Kayla had to hold back the urge to pick him up and whirl him around, the boy was so cute.

Smiling, she replied, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Shippo. My name is Kayla."

The priest Miroku suddenly came up to her, held both her hands in his and said, "I know this is very sudden but will you be the bearer of my children?"

"Uh, not likely," Kayla answered without thinking twice about it when she became distracted.

She glanced to see Inuyasha picking himself back up of the ground, muttering under his breath, when she felt a hand slide down her back to touch her butt.

"WHAT THE HELL?" she yelled as she whirled and slapped Miroku across the face with her left hand. He was struck so hard he stumbled backwards and fell on his back. He sat back up, rubbing his face.

"There he goes again," Kagome commented wryly.

"That monk never learns. He does that to every pretty girl he sees and he always ends up getting slapped," Shippo agreed, crossing his arms and shaking his head. Sango seethed in the background and glared at Miroku as he got back on his feet.

Kayla looked Miroku in the eye and stated, "If you know what's good for you, don't do that again. If you do, you will regret it. Got that?"

"Y-yeah…right, understood," Miroku said with a bit of a nervous look in his eye.

"Good."

Turning back to Kagome, she was about to ask her about their location when she saw what appeared to be a small tornado coming towards them out of the corner of her eye. The tornado stopped in front of the group and the wind died down to reveal a tan, muscle-toned man with black hair wearing clothing that appeared to be made out of brown fur.

"Koga!" Kagome called out in recognition.

Koga went over to Kagome and said, "Hey Kagome, long time no see. Did you miss me?"

"Oh great, whattaya want now, you scrawny wolf," Inuyasha said with disgust at the sight of him, his sword already back in its sheath.

"Nothing from you, ya mangy mutt. I thought I sensed something over here and I came to check it out."

Kayla could see a tail swinging behind him that went with the brown fur of his clothing. _Just what kind of a place did I land in? I almost wish I could say these guys are cosplayers or something, but considering how I got here in the first place, thinking that I might come across anything normal is probably out of the question._

Kayla came out of her thoughts as Kagome asked Koga what he was doing here. "Well, I was searching around here because I thought I caught a faint trace of Naraku in the area and I had spotted one of his poisonous insects. It looks like you haven't had much luck finding him either."

Kayla wasn't really sure who it was they were talking about, but the mention of bugs reminded her of her close encounter with the giant centipede and she shuddered. "In fact, I can still smell it around here somewhere," Koga said as he turned away from Kagome and turned to look at Kayla.

Kayla remembered some of the others' strange reaction towards her when her ring began to pulse. The ring's pulsing had stopped after Inuyasha had pulled out his sword, but she began to feel a little nervous as Koga's bright blue gaze took her in and stopped at the ring on her left hand.

He grabbed her wrist and, sniffing lightly, stated, "Well, it seems like I found the source. Now the only question left to answer," Koga said as looked at Kayla with a steely gaze and a serious look on his face, "is why you are carrying something that smells faintly of Naraku."

_I don't like that look in his eyes. It's just like Inuyasha's._

"Let go of me," she replied as she tried pulling her hand away from him, when she heard a loud buzzing sound. Turning around to look behind her, she saw what looked like a giant wasp except for the fact that its eyes were a bloody red and the upper part of its body was a dark purple. She could not suppress the shudder that ran through her as it fixed its sight upon her.

"I thought I saw one of Naraku's poisonous insects around here. Looks like it finally decided to show up," Koga said as he released his hold on Kayla and made his way towards it.

Kayla took a step back. Amidst all of the angry buzzing, she realized she could just barely make out the words it was speaking. _I found her,_ it buzzed. _I must go tell the master._ It turned and flew off in the opposite direction.

"Oh no, you don't," Koga said as he speeded off after it.

"Hey, get back here!" Inuyasha yelled after him as he took off right behind Koga in pursuit of their mutual prey.

"Inuyasha, wait for us," Kagome called after him. Sango and Miroku got on Kilala and (to Kayla's surprise) took off into the air. Kagome grabbed a hold of Kayla's hand and started tugging her along, saying, "Come on Kayla, let's go."

"Wait a minute, hold up. I just barely escaped becoming bug food not too long ago and now you want me to go chasing after _that_? No thanks."

"Well, if you want to stay here by yourself and risk getting attacked again, go right ahead," Kagome responded.

_Ah, shoot, she's got a good point. Well, going with them has got to be better than waiting alone for them to come back right? I mean, they're the only people I've managed to meet so far and I still don't know where I am. Besides,_ Kayla though as she reluctantly followed Kagome and the others, _if I actually heard what I thought I did, and that thing belongs to this so called "Naraku," then I'm not sure I want him to know where I am._

She caught up to Kagome soon enough, and since Shippo decided to turn into what looked like a big pink balloon so that they could go faster, they both sat on top as they went in the direction they saw the others go in. _This is so weird. If someone told me I'd meet a kid who could change into a giant pink balloon, I'd have laughed and asked what they were smoking_. She began to hear shouting as they got closer to where the others were at, and as they cleared the trees Kayla took in the scene that appeared before her.


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Kayla noticed were the three people fighting in the middle of the clearing. Inuyasha had his sword unsheathed and Koga was using his amazing speed to his advantage as they engaged with their opponent. The person they were facing was a woman in a multi-colored kimono with feathers in her hair and a fan in her hand. "Dance of Blades!" she cried out as she swung her fan in an arc towards them and they both dodged as cutting blades of wind swept across the space where they once stood.

The next thing Kayla noticed was the immense amount of poisonous insects that were hovering in a mass above the battlefield. _I suppose it'd be too much to hope for a really large can of Raid right about now_, Kayla thought nervously as she looked at them. _Or even a giant flyswatter for that matter. It's weird, though. There's so many of them, yet why are they not attacking?_

That was when she caught Inuyasha swinging his sword and shouting out "WIND SCAR!" thereby letting loose a humongous attack that shredded the ground before it.

_Ah, that's why. I'm glad he didn't get a chance to swing that thing at me last time. Thanks Kagome!_

"Oh no, look at Miroku," said Shippo and that's when Kayla turned to look and see Miroku lying down with Sango and Kilala beside him.

Kagome and Kayla got off of Shippo, who returned to his usual form, and Kagome asked, "How bad is it?"

"Miroku sucked in quite a few with his Wind Tunnel," Sango answered her with a worried look on her face.

"I thought it was safe. I only saw the one from earlier and I didn't think that there would be anymore lying in wait so close by," Miroku gasped out as he grasped his right hand with his left.

Kayla, beginning to wonder what the heck a "Wind Tunnel" was, snapped out of her thoughts when she saw the skin of Miroku's right hand had turned into a mottled purple. "We need to get him to see a doctor right away," Kayla said with concern in her voice.

"I've got some antidote in my backpack back at Kaede's village. Let's move him quickly," Kagome responded as she and Sango lifted Miroku to his feet.

It was at that point as they were trying to get Miroku onto Kilala that Kayla heard the buzzing sound of the poisonous insects begin to increase. She turned and was horrified to see them converge closer together. _We mustn't let them get away_, they buzzed, and suddenly flew in for the attack.

"Oh no, Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted. He moved toward them to intervene but that woman let loose another Dance of Blades and he was cut off.

For Kayla, everything happening around her seemed to sharpen and become clear. She could see the swarm of poisonous insects coming toward them with all the details standing out as if in high-definition, hear the gasps of fear from Miroku and Sango while Kagome shrieked out Inuyasha's name, see Inuyasha's concern and frustration even as Koga turned in midair to start heading in their direction, and feel Shippo quivering behind her as he held tightly onto the back of her jeans.

_Dammit! I don't want my life to end like this, being stung to death by some freakish, overgrown killer wasps from a B-rated movie. This is _NOT_ how I want to die!_

Just as the poisonous insects were upon them the ones closest to the group began to explode into pieces. It was as if they were coming into contact with some kind of invisible wall that exploded the insects on impact. The rest of them backed off quickly after that, the buzzing they emitted sounding something akin to nervousness and a hint of fear to Kayla's ears. Everyone looked on in amazement for a few moments before the silence was broken.

"What? Impossible! How could this happen?" the woman cried out in disbelief.

_That's what I'd like to say, but apparently it can,_ Kayla thought wryly.

The woman gritted her teeth, took a feather out of her hair and tossed it into the air. It became much larger and she used it to take off into the sky and fly away, along with what remnants remained of the swarm of insects before. As Kayla watched them flee, she got the feeling that this wouldn't be the last time she would encounter that woman and those poisonous insects.

"Hey Kagome, are you alright?" she heard Koga ask, and Kagome responded, "Yeah, thanks to Kayla over there."

Turning back to look at them, Kayla replied, "I don't know what you're thanking me for. I didn't do much of anything at all except stand here thinking I was about to be stung to death."

"What are you talking about, of course it was you," Inuyasha butted in as he walked toward her. "What happened to Naraku's insects just now is the same kind of thing that happened to the giant centipede that attacked you."

"He's right Kayla. None of us can do anything like that," Kagome said as she and Sango helped Miroku onto Kilala.

"Yeah, you were really amazing just now," Shippo piped in from behind her, still grasping tightly to the back of her jeans.

"Even if you guys are right and I am the one doing this, I still have no idea how I'm doing it or how to control it. The only thing I can think of that can be the cause of all this would be this stupid ring that I'm wearing," Kayla answered while holding up her left hand and pointing to the ring with her right forefinger.

Miroku let out a grunt of pain just then and Sango said, "Can we continue this discussion back at Kaede's village? Miroku needs the antidote and quickly."

"Well then Kagome, it looks like I will be saying goodbye for now," Koga said as they heard the voices of men faintly calling out for him. "See ya around, mutt-face," he said to Inuyasha as he took off in a whirlwind.

"Huh, good riddance," Inuyasha muttered as two men dressed in the same fashion as Koga came by along with a group of wolves and muttering "Hey Kagome, see ya Kagome," as they struggled to keep up after Koga.

Kayla stared bemusedly after the crew as Kagome got onto Inuyasha's back, while she climbed aboard Shippo after he transformed back into a pink balloon, and they all headed off. As they made way towards the village Kayla thought about everything that happened so far and, while it didn't sit well with her, came to accept the possibility that what the others said about her being able to explode things might be true.

_It's the only thing that makes sense, and I'm sure this damn ring has got something to do with it. Ever since I put this ring on weird things have been happening to me. I don't know why this is the case but I have to find some way of getting back home._ Kayla remembered how she could hear the poisonous insects speak and what they said about reporting her whereabouts to their "master." _I hope that one of the insects I killed was the one that found me. I don't know enough about this place to be sure if I want strange people I've never even met knowing where I am._

They reached the edge of the forest and as they crested the hill they were on, Kayla could see below them into the valley and saw a village nestled by a small river. They made their way through the village on foot, Shippo turning back to his natural form, and Kayla was surprised to see that there were no cars or any signs of the technology that she had grown up with as a child.

She noticed the village residents staring at her and whispering to each other. _Jeez, with the reaction they're giving, you'd think they never saw a white person before,_ Kayla thought drolly as they came to a stop in front of a hut. Miroku rested outside as Kagome went in and came back out with the antidote, then began to administer it to him.

"I see ye have returned, and with a foreigner no less," a voice spoke up and Kayla turned to see an old woman with a patch over her right eye make her way towards them. Her white top and loose red pants had Kayla wondering if she was a priestess of some sort, as well as the village elder or leader. After all, why else would Kagome have referred to the place as "Kaede's Village"?

Inuyasha spoke, saying, "We found her in the forest. She was being attacked by a giant centipede but it exploded before it can get to her. Then one of Naraku's insects showed up and led us straight to Kagura."

_I see, so her name is Kagura huh? I better watch out for that one_.

The old woman came up to Kayla and gave her a hard stare. "There's something familiar about ye. I know I've seen someone like ye once before." Then she noticed the ring on Kayla's hand and she said, "Now that ring is something I definitely remember. Please come inside."

_Hmm, perhaps now someone will finally give me some answers,_ Kayla thought as she and the others followed the old woman inside.

There was enough room for them to set up a mat on the floor for Miroku to rest on while he recovered and for the others to sit comfortably as they sat together eating a stew Kaede had prepared earlier. Kayla was starving, and she ate the food with a look on her face akin to bliss. Taking in the surroundings, Kayla couldn't help but think, _Wow, talk about living simply. These people are so old school they don't even have a cooking stove, or even a fireplace for that matter._

"Kaede, you mentioned something about having seen someone like Kayla before," Kagome started, and Kayla looked at the one-eyed woman who sat across from her.

"It was many years ago, back when I was a small child. A woman with pale skin and eyes like the sea came to our village, and she was wearing that same ring on her hand along with a matching necklace."

Kayla's eyes widened with astonishment. _No, nuh-uh, there is no freaking way. She can't possibly be talking about my ancestor._ Turning to Kagome she said slowly, "Kagome, you never mentioned where we were back in the forest."

"Oh my gosh, that's right, I meant to tell you. You are in the Feudal era of Japan," Kagome answered her, as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

Staring at her with a look of disbelief, Kayla responded, "You've gotta be kidding me. There's no way I'm in Feudal Japan. I mean, look at you. You're wearing a school uniform for crying out loud."

"Well that's because I'm like you. I'm not from this time, I'm from late 20th century Japan," Kagome told her.

"Well I can _see_ that. What I don't understand is why you would be wearing one if we're in Feudal Japan, and why you aren't freaking out over being stuck in this era."

"But I'm not stuck in this era. I can return to my own time through the same way I came here, through the bone eater's well. And I have plenty of school uniforms to spare, so I don't have to worry about replacing them," Kagome said with a shrug.

_I cannot believe I'm actually having this conversation_, Kayla thought. Shaking her head out of astonishment, she responded, "Even if I were to believe what you are telling me is true, then how is it that I can understand you?"

"Well aren't you speaking Japanese right now? You should be able to understand us if you can speak it right?" Kagome said with a confused look on her face.

"What are you talking about? I know maybe, like, a few words out of the entire Japanese language! There's no way I could ever speak it fluently. I just assumed you guys were speaking to me in English."

A thought occurred to her and she glared at the ring on her hand. _I see, so it seems this ring allows me to speak and understand just about any language. Maybe that also explains why I was able to hear those poisonous insects talking._

"English? Is that the name of the language that is spoken where thou art from?" asked Kaede, bringing Kayla back to attention.

"Yes, yes it is. You were saying that you met this woman a long time ago. About how many years ago would you say that was?"

"Hmm, I would say that it was over fifty years ago, back when my elder sister Kikyo was still alive. The woman had come to her for help of some kind."

"And you haven't seen anybody else like me since that time?" Kayla asked, hoping even though it was unlikely that the old woman would say yes.

"Nay, I have not."

Kayla let out a sigh as she sat back against the wall of the hut, thinking, _Well, I finally got some answers, but it looks like I might be stuck here for a while until I can find a way to get back home._


	4. Chapter 4

"Kayla, you never did tell us what you were doing in that forest in the first place. If you are from Kagome's time, why are you here and how did you come to be in this situation?" Sango asked kindly.

Thinking that this strange group was probably her best bet on helping her get back to her time, Kayla started with, "Well, I'm born in the same time period that Kagome was living in, but I'm actually from the early 21st century."

"Wait a minute, what country did you say you were from again?" Kagome interrupted.

"I'm living in America."

"Wow, really? What's it like over there?" Kagome was beginning to ask, when Kaede entered in the conversation, saying, "Perhaps it would be best if you let her continue with her tale, Kagome."

"Oh, right, sorry," Kagome said sheepishly.

_ Thank you Kaede,_ Kayla thought as she began again.

She gave them the quick version of what happened to her, starting from Aunt Julia's shop and finding the family heirlooms to how she'd been attacked by the centipede when they found her. As she told her story a small cat with two tails and strange markings entered the hut and sat on Sango's lap while Sango fed her some leftovers.

_Huh, it looks like a mini version of Kilala. I wonder if that's her kit._

"You mentioned something about hearing a voice whispering to you. Can you tell us what kind of voice it was and if you had ever heard it before?" Miroku asked as he sat up from his place on the mat with some effort and a little help from Sango.

"I've never heard it before, and it was whispering very low, but I think it might've been a man's voice," Kayla responded. "Why? Does that mean anything?"

The gang exchanged glances with each other and Miroku responded, "When we came looking for you in the forest, it was because Inuyasha had sensed the presence of a certain someone. We believe it is possible that this man was the one who placed some kind of a spell on your ring and that is why you were brought here."

_In other words, my fears and suspicions have been realized._ Kayla let out a great sigh and said, "So what you're basically telling me is that this may have to do with this Naraku person Koga mentioned earlier. I don't suppose you want to fill me in on what the deal is between you guys and Naraku?"

Kagome told her that the Shikon Jewel, which can grant a person any wish, was accidentally broken by a stray arrow and scattered all over. Possessing even one shard can give an individual an immense increase in power. Naraku was trying to gather the shards of the Shikon Jewel just like they were, but he intended to use them for evil purposes.

"In other words, not a nice guy to be around. I'll keep that in mind," said Kayla after Kagome had finished.

"Well if this is the case, then we've got a problem. I can't get this ring to send me back and I don't think Naraku is gonna be willing to cooperate since he's likely the one that had me brought here, for whatever reason that may be. We can always try sending me through the bone eater's well, the way Kagome comes and goes, but that will still leave me in Japan. Not only that, but even if by some miracle I managed to get from the Japan of that time to America and made it back home in one piece, there would still be a little me already living at home with my family. I don't think they are going to buy the whole time-manipulation bid." Kayla was up on her feet pacing back and forth as she said this, and finally came to a stop only to lean her head against the wall of Kaede's home and heave another sigh of exasperation.

"Um, well, if it makes you feel any better, even if you can't go through the bone eater's well with me, I could still bring you back fresh clothes and such," Kagome said to her, trying to cheer her up.

Kayla managed a smile and replied, "That is very kind of you Kagome. I think I may have to take you up on that offer, since it's unlikely I'll be able to go back home any time soon."

"Well, until Kagome needs to return to her time, I shall lend ye some of the clothes we have here for when ye need them," Kaede put in.

"Ah, yes, thank you Kaede, I would appreciate that."

By this time night had fallen, and Kayla was utterly exhausted with all that had happened to her during the day. She asked Kaede if there was a place for her to sleep during the night, and Kaede provided her with a blanket, pillow, and mat to sleep on. It didn't really matter to her that she would have to spend the night lying on the ground. At that point, all she wanted to do was rest. "Goodnight everyone," she yawned, and as her head hit the pillow she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Kayla dreamed that she was back in the forest, being chased down by the giant centipede, her breath coming in gasps as she struggled to keep running, always being just out of its reach. She could hear the thunder of its many legs pumping as it chased after her and the chittering sound it made as it clamped its pincers together. _Dammit, not this again! I am not looking back this time. The moment I do it will leap for me and my life will be over._ It seemed, however, that the temptation to turn was too much and she could not help the turning of her head and the glance she made while looking over her shoulder.

Sure enough, she saw the centipede leaping toward her, growing ever closer with its mouth full of teeth wide open and its pincers opening up to grab her. Everything seemed to slow down as she tripped and was turning to look at the centipede coming at her. That was when she noticed the flash of blue light that her ring made and the sudden disintegration of the centipede as pieces of its body began flying around her.

She was falling backwards, and was sure that she would hit the ground, but her body kept on falling deeper into a darkness through which she could not see. As she began to lose consciousness, she heard a deep male voice echo in her head.

{Honestly, you and that woman really are just the same...}

She woke up and she was back at home, lying in her own bed. _Oh, thank God, it was all just a dream. I really had myself going there for a while. _She turned over on her side and closed her eyes so she could go back to sleep, when her alarm clock on her bedside dresser went off.

_Bzzzzt, bzzzzt_.

She slammed it on the snooze button, waiting for it to shut up so she could go back to sleep for another fifteen minutes. It wouldn't stop buzzing, no matter how many times she hit it, and the buzzing only seemed to get more insistent. When she finally lifted her head to look at the clock, it was a poisonous insect that was staring at her full in the face with its blood-red eyes not two feet away from her._ It's time to get up Kayla,_ it buzzed.

"YYYEEAAAAA-OWWWW!" Kayla yelled as she began sitting up straight from her place on the floor, only to knock heads with Inuyasha on the way up.

"Ah, damn! What is wrong with you? I try to be nice and this is the thanks I get?" Inuyasha said in a muffled voice as he covered his nose with one hand while leaning his head back to look at the ceiling.

"Well, what the heck were you doing leaning over me anyway?" Kayla responded with her head back on her pillow as she rubbed the sore spot on her forehead with her right hand.

Inuyasha brought his head back down to look at her, removing his hand from his face while scrunching up his nose to make sure he wasn't going to bleed. "I was calling for you to get up for breakfast but you weren't answering, so I come in here to see you tossing and turning, and that's why I was trying to wake you up."

"Alright, well, I will be out in a few minutes, okay?"

"Yeah, fine whatever," Inuyasha said as he got up on his feet and walked out of the room with one hand rubbing his nose tenderly.

Kayla stared up at the ceiling for a moment, thinking to herself, _Well, I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up, about being back home. I don't think anything as out there as this happens in most dreams to begin with anyway. In any case, since I'm probably gonna be here for a while, I should just try to make the best of it._

Sitting back up, she looked around and saw a basin of water, a drying cloth, and a brush. After washing her face and fixing her hair into a braid, she went outside to eat breakfast with the others. She sat between Sango and Shippo, mumbled a "Good morning" to everyone, and then dug right in, taking dim notice of the small cat's presence in Sango's lap and the absence of the larger one.

As she ate, she noticed how some of the villagers were still staring at her and whispering behind upraised hands._ Move along people, there's nothing here to see - just a girl minding her own business and trying to eat her breakfast in peace. _She tried to ignore it, but she began to see more people peek outside of their windows to get a look at her.

_I know I'm not in America anymore, and people like me aren't exactly common around here either, but seriously, you'd think they'd have better stuff to do, like harvest crops or something._

The longer people stood to watch her, the more irritated she became, and Shippo said, "Hey Kayla, is something wrong? You look a little upset."

Turning to look down at Shippo she said, "It's nothing much. I just don't like being stared at is all. Where I come from we see many different kinds of people and, I guess since I'm so used it in my regular life, it's weird for me to have so many people's eyes on me." Standing up, she said, "If you're finished eating, pass me your bowls so I can help Kaede wash up."

"You're done with your food already? You certainly eat very fast," Sango said in surprise as Kayla collected the plates.

"Indeed, much like another certain someone we know," Miroku commented with a knowing look at Inuyasha, who was too busy stuffing his face with chips to comment.

Kayla found Kaede, who thanked her for helping out with the plates as they set about washing up. "No problem. Um, listen, Lady Kaede, I was wondering if you happened to remember what problem my ancestor Elena had that she needed your sister's help with."

"Nay, I am afraid I cannot help you there. All I can tell you is that it most likely had something to do with a demon."

"What do you mean a demon? And what makes you say that anyway?" Kayla asked her, puzzled by the response.

"Well, my sister Kikyo was a powerful priestess, and many people would come asking her for help. More often than not, I'm afraid, demons would be involved, and many would come after her because she was such a great threat to them."

"Wait a minute, why are you talking about these things as though they actually exist in, like, the day-to-day life of the living?" Kayla asked her, a sense of unease growing in the back of her mind.

"But my dear girl, of course they exist. You just finished eating with three of them right now, and the giant centipede that attacked you yesterday and the poisonous insects are demons as well."

Kayla looked at her, stunned into speechlessness and still as a statue. _Oh my God, either I'm going crazy, or what she is saying is actually true. _Thinking back over the events of the past day, things seemed to make a little more sense when she considered the possibility that what the old woman said was true.

She looked back over her shoulders at the others talking._ I knew right from the beginning that something was different about them, I just didn't know what. _A smile of mirth began to form on her lips._ So they're demons, huh? And here I was wondering what the hell the bugs were eating that made them so big._

Her shoulders began to shake as she struggled to keep herself from laughing.

"Kayla, child, are you alright?"

Kayla began to giggle, and then to chuckle, until she couldn't hold it in anymore and she burst out laughing.

"Kayla dear, whatever is the matter?" Kaede asked with worry in her voice and a look of concern in her eye. She expected the news to be a bit of a shock when Kayla asked about the existence of demons, but she did not predict the girl would start laughing about it.

Turning to look at her and wiping tears from her eyes Kayla answered, "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you or make you worry or anything. I just found it unbelievably funny that someone like me could get as many stares as I have, and yet they don't so much as look twice when demons come walking around, right through their village." Smiling at her, Kayla said, "Don't worry Kaede, I'll be fine," then went back outside to join the gang.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: There may be some OOC (out of character) going on in the story from here on out**

**Update: 7/30/13 Expect a new chapter to be up by the end of the weekend. Hope you enjoy, review, and vote on my poll on my profile. Thanks :)**

When she came outside, Kagome and Inuyasha were standing up, waiting for her. Kagome beckoned to her. "Come on Kayla, we're going to the bone eater's well to see if you can go through it or not."

"Okay," she said, and followed them out of the village and into the forest. They soon came upon an old wooden well that was covered in vines, and exuded a peculiar undercurrent of power. Kayla surveyed the well for a bit, taking note of how it did not seem as dilapidated as one might think in spite of its age. She slowly walked up to it, placing her hands on the lip of the well, feeling the edges of wood still as clean cut as the day it was made, and leaned over the mouth of the well to look down inside. She let out a small sigh of relief to see that it was dry.

_It's kind of a long way down, though. I hope I can get back up using the vines._

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get moving already," Inuyasha said impatiently, and he pushed her into it.

"AAAAHHHH!" Kayla yelled as she fell head first, but due to her flailing and flipping about luckily managed to take the brunt of the impact on her bottom. Raising herself to a sitting position and rubbing her rear tenderly, she looked up to the entrance of the well and shook her fist, muttering dark curses underneath her breath.

"Inuyasha! Think before you act!" Kagome chided him, her voice sounding faint as it traveled down to her.

"Yeah, seriously! I could've hit my head on the way down or broken a bone or something!" Kayla shouted up in agreement.

As she picked herself up off the floor and tried climbing back up the well using the vines, she heard Inuyasha respond, "Well the only way we were gonna find out was if she went in and she didn't look like she was moving, so I was just giving her a hand."

Kagome shot back, "Well you didn't have to push her in head first you know! Honestly, sometimes you just don't think."

"What are you complaining about? She's fine, isn't she? And now we know if she can go through the bone eater's well or not."

As Kayla climbed and listened to their bickering, she couldn't help but think, _You'd think instead of arguing like an old married couple they'd at least ask if I needed a hand or not. Sheesh, are these guys really gonna be able to help me get home? I might just end up dying before then, with the way things are going so far._

She finally made it to the top with a small grunt, a little out of breath and put out by the lack of assistance, at which point she interrupted their arguing by saying loudly, "Hey! If you two lovebirds would stop arguing with each other for two minutes, there is something I'd like to discuss with you."

They both turned to look at her at the same time, blushing furiously, and said together, "We're not dating!"

"Oh really?" Kayla said with a knowing look and a smile on her face that was almost a smirk. "Then why is it that both of your faces are red, I wonder?"

"Feh, whatever. I don't know what you're talking about. It's probably just from the sun is all," Inuyasha said as he crossed his arms and turned his back to her to hide his embarrassment.

"Uh-huh, sure it is," Kayla said with a disbelieving tone.

"Anyways, since it seems that I can't go through the well and we still don't know why exactly I was brought to this time in the first place, I was wondering if you guys would mind if I tagged along," Kayla said to them as she sat on the edge of the well, being careful not to lean too far back and lose her balance.

"Are you sure you want to do that? We will be looking for the jewel shards and it will be dangerous traveling with us," Kagome asked her. "There's no reason for you to get dragged into our problems."

"Look, regardless of whatever issues you guys have with this Naraku guy, the point is that I'm already involved if he's the one who placed some kind of a spell on my ring and had me brought here," Kayla responded. "Staying in this village isn't gonna get me any closer to finding out why I'm here and how to get back home. Besides which, if I'm going to be attracting demons and such like I have been, wouldn't it be better if I was traveling with you instead of staying here and possibly putting the safety of the villagers at risk?"

"Well, that is true…" Kagome was saying when Inuyasha decided to join in the conversation.

Turning back to look at Kayla directly in the eyes, his amber ones trying to discern any deception in her own, he said to her, "Just tell me one thing: what's to stop you from turning on us and helping Naraku?"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome said in an incredulous tone.

Kayla's eyes widened in surprise, wondering for a moment where this was coming from, before Inuyasha continued. "That ring of yours has been worked on by Naraku. You can't take it off and you don't know how to get home. If betraying us, possibly even going so far as trying to kill us, would get you home, would you do it?" Inuyasha looked at her with a serious look on his face, waiting for an answer.

_Ah, I see. So that's what's been bothering him. I wondered why he's been acting suspicious of me, even more so than the others. Not without good reason, all things considered._ She looked at the ground as she thought, then lifted her head back up to give him an answer.

"I can see where you're coming from. To be perfectly honest, there is always that possibility. Like you said, I can't take off the ring and I have no idea how to get home. I don't know what I may need to do in order to get back, and circumstances may change between now and then. If you were to allow me to travel with you, instead of keeping me here under Kaede's watch, there is a good chance I can be used to spy on you, if not for something more sinister. You barely even know me and you have little to no reason to trust me."

She smiled at him then, almost sadly, and for a moment Inuyasha looked taken aback by what he saw in her eyes. Even Kagome, who was watching this all take place, was a little surprised.

"So here is my proposition to you," Kayla said as she stood up, maintaining that smile on her face. "If there should ever come a time when we can no longer be comrades, if I should turn on you and try to hurt you and the others, you are free to kill me."

Kagome and Inuyasha looked at her in stunned silence. "Are you serious?" Inuyasha asked, in a way that suggested he did not quite believe what he just heard.

"I am very much so," she said in reply. "These are your friends we're talking about. You can't just let some stranger like me join you without taking some kind of precautions or having some kind of a backup plan if anything goes wrong."

Kayla laughed suddenly, and the tense atmosphere dissipated almost like it was never there to begin with. "Of course, don't go expecting me to make it easy for you. I'll probably end up running around all over the place trying not to get hit. I _do_ want to live, you know. Just promise if it ever comes down to it, that at least you'll make it quick, okay? I'd prefer not to have to suffer."

"But Kayla, what about your family? What's going to happen to them if you never go back?" Kagome asked in concern. Kayla turned to look at Kagome, and a hint of that smile she was wearing before returned to her face.

"After enough time passes, they will come to accept the idea that I disappeared for good and that I'm never coming back because I'm probably dead. They will mourn and miss me dearly, but in the end, they will have to get on in their lives without me. The world won't stop turning just for me, and I wouldn't want them to mourn me for the rest of their lives anyway. It's not good for the living to mourn the dead for too long, and forget to keep on living."

Turning back to Inuyasha, this time Kayla cocked a smile that was almost a grin. She put her left hand on her hip, held out her right hand and said, "So what do ya say? Do we have a deal then?"

Inuyasha looked at the hand held out to him, then looked her in the face and gave her a real smile for the first time ever. He shook her hand firmly and said, "Alright, it's a deal."

"Welcome to the team," Kagome said happily.

"Speaking of the team, don't you think you guys oughtta let them know that you'll be adding a new member?" Kayla asked after they had finished shaking hands, happy to finally be trusted.

"No need to bother, we already know," a male voice called from the bushes, and three heads popped out from behind a nearby bush in the tree line. Kilala soon popped out after, making a mewling sound.

"How long have you guys been back there?" Inuyasha asked them.

"We've been here since the beginning," Sango responded. "Miroku was curious, and we decided to tag along with him."

"Ratting me out already, are you?" Miroku said wryly.

"Why would you wanna come and spy on us for?" Inuyasha asked as they walked over from the bushes towards the bone eater's well.

"Earlier I noticed you were not your usual self this morning for breakfast, and it looked like something was on your mind. So when you three left for the bone eater's well, I wanted to find out if it had anything to do with Kayla and the ring on her finger," Miroku said in response.

"Well, since you guys know already, what do you guys think? Do you have any misgivings or doubts about me joining?" Kayla asked, wondering if there was more than one among the group who felt the same way Inuyasha did.

"I don't mind having you join us," Sango said without hesitation. "I think it would be nice to have another girl in the group to talk to. Besides, when we were being attacked by the poisonous insects, you were there to help us."

"Yeah, that's right," Shippo agreed as he stood with his hands behind his head. "Those explosions of yours are very useful. And there's no way you could be a bad person after protecting us like that."

"Um…I guess. This ability is still new to me though, so I will try to learn how to control it as fast as I can. It would be really inconvenient if I needed to use it and I couldn't make it work," Kayla said to him. She then turned to Miroku and asked, "What about you monk? What do you think?"

"I have to admit, I was a little worried about you joining us for a while there, but after you went so far as to say what you did, I have to wonder why you would go so far to earn our trust if you really intended to betray us," Miroku said a little abashedly. "So the answer is yes, I am more than happy to welcome you into our arms," he said as he opened his arms wide as if expecting a hug.

"Yeah…I don't think so, not after what you pulled yesterday," Kayla replied with a small shake of the head and a raised eyebrow.

"What~? But why not?" Miroku asks looking a little disappointed.

"Because you barely met me for a few minutes before you tried to _grope_ me, that's why!" she nearly shouted at him. Making a frustrated noise, she said, "Honestly, I barely know you for even a day and I'm already learning the need to protect my rear."

"Anyways, we should head back to the village and let Kaede know that you'll be coming with us," Kagome said, jumping into the conversation.

"Yeah, okay, let's go," Kayla said as she followed the others and headed back to the village.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Sorry for not updating for as long as I did, and being late to upload this chapter. I'm currently juggling three summer classes. I hope you like the latest chapter, because I've made it extra long for your patience. Enjoy!**

Once they reached the village and told Kaede of their plans, Kaede asked when they would be leaving. "We're leaving tomorrow. We don't wanna lose any more time looking for the jewel shards," Inuyasha answered.

"Well in that case, Kagome and I will help Kayla prepare for the journey ahead while the rest of ye get ready," said Kaede as Kayla and Kagome followed her inside the hut.

"Ye will be traveling a lot from now on until ye are able to go home. I suggest ye prepare well for the journey, since ye will be unlikely to return for a long time." Kaede retrieved a large, light blue cloth sack with sakura flowers on it from the a drawer in her wooden cabinet at one corner of her home and began putting in the brush and blanket she had provided Kayla with earlier.

"Oh, you really don't have to give me those," Kayla said to her, feeling as though she had received enough kindness from the old woman already and not wanting to impose on her.

"Nonsense! These are merely the necessities a young lady should have. Ye can return these to me at any time before ye return home," Kaede replied. She then opened the cabinet doors where she kept many of her personal belongings, and began to search through her things, humming a small tune to herself.

"She's right Kayla. Besides, I've got most of the stuff we are going to need packed already," Kagome added, pointing to the ridiculously large yellow backpack left near the entryway, looking just about ready to burst.

"How the heck do you manage to carry all that around with you?" Kayla said as she eyed the size of the backpack.

"I brought my bike from home with me so I wouldn't have to strain my back carrying it, and I can travel a lot faster with a bike than I can on foot," Kagome replied.

"You wouldn't happen to have anything like bug repellant in there as well?" Kayla asked, whose previous encounters with the bigger insects of the era have done nothing to diminish her distaste for the smaller ones.

"Oh, I have _lots_ of those. You won't believe how often we spend the night outdoors."

"Really?" Kayla said, a less-than-enthusiastic tone in her voice and a disgruntled look seeping across her features.

Patting her on the shoulder, Kagome said, "It will take some getting used to, but once you are it's not so bad. It's a lot like camping, really. You get to sit around a campfire and you get to see the stars at night."

Giving a reluctant sigh, Kayla responded, "Well, I guess it's not something you can really afford to be picky about in the Feudal Era. Besides, I'm the one that asked to come. What about things like sleepwear and a sleeping bag?"

Kagome put a finger to her head and thought about it a bit. "Hmm, I think I remember seeing an extra sleeping bag in a closet back at home and I can probably buy you a set of pajamas of your own if you like."

"That would be a good idea. I'd hate to wind up ruining some of your clothes due to a freak accident or something." Pausing for a moment, Kayla began again and asked, "You sure you don't mind doing all of this? I really am sorry for the inconvenience."

Shaking her head, Kagome replied, "Not at all. It would be nice to see my family one more time before we start searching for the jewel shards again. The only reason we were even in the area yesterday was because Inuyasha picked up Naraku's scent, and we had no other leads."

Standing up, Kagome stated, "I'm going to head back for now. Was there anything else you could think of that you might need?"

"Actually, yes, there is." Kayla stood up next to Kagome, put both hands on her shoulder, looked at her with a serious expression and said, "I need you to bring me a _ton_ of Raid, or any other bug killing spray you can get your hands on that might work on those poisonous insects."

Blinking a bit, Kagome started, "But—But the Saimyousho aren't even normal bugs, they're _demonic_ bugs. What makes you so sure that it will work against them?"

Shaking her head at Kagome's doubt and taking note of the term used for the bugs she was already beginning to despise, she answered, "Listen, even if they don't end up working as intended, I can always throw the cans at them or use it to squish them like the pests that they are. Any chance that it might work is better than no chance at all." Kayla released her hands from Kagome's shoulders.

"Well, I can see your point. Alright, I will bring some back for you, but no more than three or four, since you will be carrying your own things." With that, Kagome lifted her almost comically humungous backpack on and left to let Inuyasha know where she will be.

As Kayla turned to help Kaede with her search, she noticed a bow and quiver of arrows lying close to where Kaede kept her things. "Kaede, are those yours?" she asked, gesturing to the arrows.

Kaede turned to see what she was referring to as she brought out a thin, paper-wrapped package and laid it on the floor beside her. "Aye, that they are. Although there are not as many demon sightings near the village as there used to be, as the priestess of this village it is my responsibility to be ready should the need to fight arise."

"Hmm, I see," Kayla responded as she sat cross-legged next to Kaede. "I should probably start carrying weapons of my own too, huh, considering what's happened to me so far."

"Indeed, that would most likely be best," Kaede replied as she closed the doors of the cabinet.

"But where the heck am I supposed to get one? And which one should I get anyway? I know I can't wield something like Sango's giant boomerang-thing, and I don't see a point to getting a long range weapon since I intend to learn to control my explosion abilities, and I can just use those for long range purposes if necessary."

"Hmm…I think I might have something suitable for ye. Wait here," Kaede said as she slowly got up and went towards a large chest in the corner of the room and began searching through it. Kayla leaned her head against her right hand while she waited.

_I wonder what kind of weapon she's looking for? Maybe something like a hand scythe, that would be kinda cool. Or perhaps it's something simple, like a knife I can conceal on my person. Or even better, multiple knives! Or maybe even a fan that has knives inside it, because that would be awesome!_ Her imagination began to run away with her as she envisioned herself being surrounded by ninjas and snapping a fan open to fling knives at her enemies like something out of a kung-fu action movie.

Kayla was soon brought back to reality with the sound of Kaede's voice saying "Aha, here it is." She snapped her focus to Kaede as the kindly old woman turned towards her, holding a long thin object wrapped in a silk cloth the azure color of the sky. Kaede laid the object gently, almost reverently, on the floor before her and peeled back the cloth to reveal a sword.

Tilting her head to one side, Kayla observed the sword to be shorter in the length of the blade and that the handle was made to be held by smaller hands than that of a man. She also noted that the scabbard and the cloth wrappings around the hilt of the sword were the same color as the silk. She picked it up slowly with her left hand and used her right to pull out the sword halfway. Her gaze was reflected back at her like a mirror.

"This is beautiful Kaede. Where did you get this?" she asked as she returned the sword fully to its sheath and looked at the priestess in wonder.

"This is a family heirloom that my sister inherited from our mother. After her death, it was passed on to me, but neither of us had ever used it. As priestesses, we were drawn to using the bow in combat and our spiritual energy for protection. Sango carries one much like this, and I am certain will help you learn how to wield it if you ask."

It was then that Kayla noticed the finely painted engravings on the sword's hand guard.

"What flowers are these?" she asked, pointing at the pink flowers that bloomed prettily and held it close for Kaede's inspection.

"That is a peony flower. According to the tale told to my sister by our mother, this sword is the only gift she ever received from her lordly father, and is a symbol of her relation to the Araki, a clan of samurai. She was born out of wedlock, and lived out her life as a commoner." Kaede then took hold of the sword, placed it gently on the floor, and began folding up the silk cloth that had encased it for so long.

"You keep talking about your mom as though you never got to know her."

"I did not, since she died not long after giving birth to me. My elder sister Kikyo raised me in her place, as our father left to obtain supplies for the village and never returned." After returning the silk cloth to its place back in the chest, she then held out the sword to her and said, "I want ye to take this and use it for protection while ye are traveling."

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly…" Kayla began, but was stopped by the old woman shaking her head.

"No, I insist. Ye have more need of this than I do, and this has not seen the light of day in a long time. It would be good for ye to have it. I trust ye will treasure it and return it to me when the time comes for ye to return home." She made her point by pressing the sword firmly into her hands.

Kayla was once again struck by the old woman's kindness. _How could she be so kind to me? If I was in her position, I don't know if I would've let a complete stranger into my home. In fact, in my neighborhood, I doubt anybody would've lifted a finger to help, much less bother to share anything that belonged to them, especially something as important as this sword. _

She moved onto her knees, reached over to Kaede and gave her a hug, mindful not to accidentally whack her with the sword. "Why, what is this child? Is something wrong?" Kaede asked, wondering at the child's strange reaction for a second time that day.

"No, nothing's wrong. I just really appreciate what you are doing for me," Kayla said as she leaned back and looked at her smiling. "I just wanted to say thank you, for letting me stay in your home, eating your food, and now letting me have some of your things. It just really means a lot to me, that's all."

Standing up from her position on the floor and walking towards the hut entrance, she turned to look at Kaede and said, "I'm gonna go talk to Sango for a bit and ask if she can give me some fighting tips," before disappearing from sight.

Kaede could only shake her head before going back to the package and opening it to retrieve the clothing laid carefully inside.

_I will leave this as a surprise for her when they leave tomorrow morning. If I give this to the child now, she will only refuse and say I have given her too much already. I will ask Kagome or Sango to sneak this into her bag when she is not looking._

Although generosity was one of her better qualities, Kaede recognized that she was being more charitable than usual, even for her.

_Perhaps it is because she acts so thankful for what is done for her and does what she can to show her appreciation, as though she was unaccustomed to such kindness. She reminds me a little of Kagome when she first came here, although her mannerisms and disposition are very different. I suppose, in a way, she acts much like I imagine an older granddaughter may act, had I given up my spiritual powers to pursue a different path. _

Smiling, she finished unfolding the clothing and hung it on a tall stand hidden on the side of the cabinet closest to the sidewall, which she put out in the open to let the clothing air.

_I only wish I could be there to see her face when she finally sees it and tries it on._

As for Kayla, she was on her way to the nearby woods where the others had found her. She had met Shippo outside, who was licking a lollipop that Kagome gave him before she left, and told her where to look. She did not have to travel far before she could hear the loud whooshing sound that came with swinging something heavy.

It was as she was approaching Sango's position that she heard a cry of "Look out!" and ducked just in time to avoid Sango's boomerang from hitting her in the face. She continued to stay close to the ground as she looked behind her to see it coming back, and was caught successfully by its owner, who was back in her fighting outfit from the day before.

"Are you alright Kayla?" Sango asked as she approached the still-startled girl who slowly rose from her ducked position to greet her.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she responded, her eyes still a little wide from the near collision with the giant weapon Sango carried nonchalantly in one hand. "I'm just glad you warned me when you did. I'd rather not wind up with my face plastered against a tree from one of those attacks."

"I'm sorry about that. I was practicing with Hiraikotsu and didn't hear you approach," Sango said as she sat on a nearby cropping of rocks and laid her weapon beside her.

"So that's what your weapon is called huh? I've seen much smaller versions but never something this big. You must be pretty strong and have a decent amount of stamina if you are able to carry it around everywhere and throw it as hard as you do," said Kayla as she took a seat next to Sango.

"Well, it certainly wasn't easy learning how to wield it when I was younger. Now, even though I know how to use it and am strong enough to do so, I still need to practice if I don't want to lose my ability to fight with it in battle."

"That's what I came here to talk to you about," Kayla said as she showed Sango the sword that Kaede had given her, which she had kept close to her side and mostly out of sight. "Kaede mentioned that you carry around a sword just like this one and that you could help me learn how to use it."

Handing it to Sango, she waited patiently as the woman pulled the sword fully out of its sheath and examined the blade.

"This wakizashi was certainly well-cared for over the years, since the blade itself is very sharp and has no cracks in it. Where did you get this?" Sango asked as she returned the blade to its casing and handed it back to Kayla.

"Kaede gave this to me. She said I could borrow it while I am traveling with you. So, would you be willing to teach me?" Kayla asked with an expectant look on her face.

"Of course, I wouldn't mind at all. We can get started right now if you like."

"That would be great. The sooner I learn how to fight with this, the better I will be able to defend myself while I figure out how these powers work," Kayla replied earnestly as she hopped up from her seat and Sango pulled out her sword to begin instruction.

Up until it was time to eat lunch, Sango taught her how to hold the sword properly, what stances she should be in, and what exercises she could do to help strengthen her body to become accustomed to wielding the sword. After lunch, Kayla practiced her own for a while before Sango decided to practice fighting with her, correcting her hold on the sword or showing her how she is leaving herself open to attacks, all the while having visitors like Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo stop by to see what they were doing. This went on for most of the afternoon, and by the end of it Kayla was exhausted.

She laid flat on the ground as she tried to catch her breath, her hair coming out of its braid and her sweat causing the long-sleeved shirt to stick to her skin.

"Put your sword back in its scabbard before collapsing on the ground like that," Sango told her and following her own advice before laying on her back to rest against the outcropping of rocks from before.

Pulling herself with effort from the ground, Kayla obliged her teacher by putting away her sword properly and looked toward her to ask, "Where do you go to take a long, hot shower around here?"

Disappointed to discover that such forms of luxury did not exist, Kayla was still uplifted at the prospect of getting clean as Sango took her to the part of the river which had some cover and where the women normally had baths. As Sango went to Kaede's hut to gather towels and yukatas for them, Kayla placed a hand in the water to gauge the temperature.

_Woo! It sure is cold, but I'd rather deal with the cold and be clean than stay like this._

She slipped her feet out of her shoes and took off her socks, then proceeded to take off her long gray shirt when she heard a voice begin to whisper her name.

{Kayla…}

She stopped with her shirt halfway up her torso, and turned to look behind her. Sliding the shirt back down, she peered at the surrounding area and looked to see if she could spot anyone atop the crested hill that offered protection or hiding in the tree line across the river from her. Not seeing anyone, she shrugged as she slipped her left hand out of a sleeve.

{Kayla…} the voice said again, and as it spoke a light flickered in and out of existence from the sapphire embedded in the ring so quickly that she would have missed it had she not been looking at it in the first place.

Kayla was stunned for a moment, half wanting to believe she did not hear and see what she did, when she snapped out of it and said loudly, "Are you freaking kidding me!?"


End file.
